ArticlesIssue 81, Fall/Winter 2022-23
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FeaturesDebut chapter book series highlights Vietnamese culture, complexity of kids’ experiences
The Nguyen Kids, a celebration of Vietnamese culture and the role of grandparents, is Linda Trinh’s debut series of chapter books. With universal themes and empowered characters, the series is aimed at early readers from six to nine years old. -
FeaturesArchival deep dive into Ukrainian family history considers settler narrative
A picture says a thousand words, but for Myrna Kostash, a photograph led to an entire memoir exploring mysteries about her family’s history. Ghosts in a Photograph: A Chronicle delves into the lives of the Edmonton-based writer’s grandparents. All of them moved from Galicia (present-day western Ukraine) to Alberta at the turn of the 20th century. Also included are the, often elusive, stories of a few assorted relatives left behind. -
FeaturesTime-travel adventure dives into ancestral history to explore migration, hardship
Prolific Saskatchewan author Judith Silverthorne’s latest book for middle years readers is The Treasure Box, a time-travel adventure set in Regina. Augustus (please call him Gus) is in Grade 5 and has very recently moved there from Calgary with his mom and his sister, Hannah. They will live, at least for now, with his widowed grandfather. -
Non-FictionEdmonton professor’s essays an introspective addition to pandemic time capsule
Reflecting on the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, University of Alberta sociology professor Amy Kaler never dreamed Canadians were on the verge of seismic social shifts. -
Non-FictionAnti-racist scholars, activists call for ‘dramatic reinvention’ of how we see ourselves, others
To shed light on how localized experiences relate to broader structural and systemic forms of racism, University of Lethbridge academics Caroline Hodes and Glenda Tibe Bonifacio have edited Racism in Southern Alberta and Anti-Racist Activism for Change, a collection of works by scholars and activists. -
Non-FictionDisillusioned with hunting, self-proclaimed ‘wildlife nut’ dives into predators
Saskatoon-based author David Carpenter’s new book, I Never Met a Rattlesnake I Didn’t Like: A Memoir, highlights chapter-by-chapter a cast of lesser loved predaceous critters – including mosquitos, dragonflies, weasels, feral pigs, snakes, grizzlies, and others – which would be less likely to pull on the heartstrings of concerned wildlife conservationists. -
Non-FictionInterviews, analysis explore themes such as resilience in Miriam Toews’ work
Dr. Sabrina Reed, an English professor at Mount Royal University in Calgary, gives academics and non-academics alike a fascinating look at the oeuvre of a celebrated Canadian writer. In Lives Lived, Lives Imagined: Landscapes of Resilience in the Works of Miriam Toews, Reed uses interviews with Toews, as well as the writings of others, to take an insightful look at Toews’s exploration of resilience. -
Non-FictionPosthumous collection of writing, interviews an indictment of prison system
Rik McWhinney’s over 34 years of incarceration in Canada’s federal penitentiary system – 16 of which were in solitary confinement – began in the 1970s. During the early years of his imprisonment, he was frequently subjected to segregation and medical torture. Eventually, McWhinney turned to writing, and his poetry, essays, grievance forms, and letters both documented and worked to combat the conditions of his confinement. -
FeaturesWriter-centric publisher aims for passion, not prizes – though they’ve collected both
Since 1986, Signature Editions has been busily discovering and promoting new voices in Canadian literature. While much has changed since the press’s conception, its commitment to publishing a variety of quality writing has never wavered. -
Young Adult/ChildrenTale highlights importance of school, family supports for neurodivergent kids
Winnipeg-based author Jodi Carmichael is back with a new middle grade novel, The U-nique Lou Fox. Ten-year-old Lou lives with ADHD and dyslexia, and as a result, school does not come easily for her. Like many neurodivergent children, Lou often finds herself in hot water for drifting off task and losing focus in class, and this is very frustrating for her, to say the least.
